Getting to know Persefoni: Meet Anne Reaney

1. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (Tell us your journey?)

The journey starts for me as a teenager in the early 2000s, when I was backpacking around the world and witnessed firsthand key environmental issues relating to the (lack of) "circular economy". I left university and joined a financial data start-up called Markit in the UK they developed products and services which touched every part of the
financial value chain. When I couldn't understand how the natural world, and real world impacts of companies weren't a bigger consideration in mainstream financial analysis, I took an evening degree in sustainability and focused on why the responsible investment field wasn't bigger. Realising huge problems lay in the lack of good data and tech, I left my data-tech sales role at IHS Markit to join AI-driven ESG fintech company Truvalue Labs in 2018. Huge things are happening in this space and the whole industry is now moving faster than ever, but with only 7-8 years left to really make the changes needed, it's time to focus headfirst on Carbon, and I can't think of a better company to be joining than Persefoni to help the industry take things to the next level.

2. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. (What do you do at Persefoni?)

My role is the co-founder of Persefoni UK and Head of Sales across EMEA. Essentially, I'll be helping the team to expand rapidly into Europe, building out our European sales capability, supporting new customers here, ensuring we have the right people, relationships and partnerships in place to make that a success. Since the UK and Europe are advanced in thinking about carbon data and reporting from a global perspective, with initiatives such as TCFD and the EU Taxonomy / SFDR shaping the financial landscape (among many others - not least our hosting of COP26) - I expect to be very busy!

3. And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" (What are your hopes for your time at Persefoni?)

As a "doer" who thrives in a fast-paced environment infused with a sense of purpose, I'm excited about Persefoni playing a vital role in helping the world transition to a lower carbon planet, and ultimately give us a fighting chance to meet the reductions needed to avoid more than a 1.5 degree global temperature increase. Our planet is on fire, and change can't happen without the right funding. Everything Persefoni is doing is designed to help companies and financiers understand - from a carbon intensity standpoint - where focus is required, be it funding, engagement, or divestment for example. I'm excited to work with as many customers as possible to help them get the tooling they need to do this effectively, and see what kind of difference we can make!

4. And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?" (Why is Persefoni a great home for you?)

The moment I heard about Persefoni and what Kentaro and the whole team are building and trying to achieve, I knew I wanted to jump on board. My experience to date has taught me that having the right data in the right place at the right time is absolutely foundational for good decision-making for all financial actors, and carbon accounting is decades behind financial accounting. I'm a data and tech geek / environmentalist - what could be better than bringing these passions together with a team of incredibly talented & driven individuals?

5. And you may find yourself in another part of the world... (Tell us about your life/hobbies away from work?)

I've recently become a mother, so how I spend time away from work has changed a bit recently! Family is a huge part of my DNA, so I love to spend time with family and friends. I love to be outdoors in any capacity; more recently that involves lots of countryside walks with my daughter/husband/dog (a cocker spaniel called Malfie), but when given the chance I love hiking, wild swimming, running and cycling. My favourite thing to do is to ski: snow, sunshine and blue skies - perfect! I have a huge bug for travelling and that has been a big part of my life, so COVID has been a very strange time in that regard. I'm sure I will be having some adventures in my new role in time! And outside of work, I hope to look forward to showing my daughter the world in time.

Meet other Persefonites!

• Getting to know Rico Smith

• Getting to know Eugene Husak

• Getting to know Duffy Fray

“Once in a Lifetime" is a series of articles designed to help our customers and partners learn more about Persefoni's truly passionate team. We're not just building award-winning software ... together, we're helping to decarbonize our planet.